College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

The Breakfast Buffet: Cormac Ryan, TCU, Fred Hoiberg

Here’s today’s installment of “The Breakfast Buffet”, a daily column that can be found here every single morning getting you caught up to date on everything that’s happened from the day/night before and everything that’s going to happen in the next 24 hours.

Mangia!

Things To Sample

Cormac Ryan is getting into a rhythm for North Carolina
This is the player that the Tar Heels thought they were getting out of the transfer portal last spring. After struggling to get into a consistent flow offensively for the majority of this season, Ryan is starting to find his shooting touch. A graduate transfer from Notre Dame, the 6-5 Ryan is averaging 17.3 points in the Tar Heels’ last three games while shooting a blistering 14-27 from three-point range during that span. This is a major piece to monitor over the next few weeks as North Carolina aims to cement itself as a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels will next host Miami tonight in Chapel Hill. 

TCU is quietly on the verge of history
The Horned Frogs have never played in three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, but that’s the trajectory of Jamie Dixon’s team entering tonight’s game against Baylor in Fort Worth. TCU is currently tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings and barring something completely unforeseen, will hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the third straight year. Prior to the past two seasons, the Horned Frogs have only played in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments one other time, which occurred in 1952 and 1953. A salute to Dixon for a job well done at his alma mater.

Fred Hoiberg is winning much differently at Nebraska than he did at Iowa State
Remember that spread offense that Hoiberg ran with the Cyclones a decade ago? If it feels like a distant memory, that’s because it is. After struggling to find the right formula during his first three seasons with the Huskers, Hoiberg found a rhythm last season when Nebraska finished 16-16 thanks to a strong focus on defense. That same focus has led the Huskers to a 20-win season for only the seventh time in program history. Nebraska — who’s only giving up an average of 65 points in Big Ten games played this season at Pinnacle Bank Arena — is on the verge of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.

On The Side

  • Houston won 86.8 percent of its conference games during its final three years in the AAC. The Cougars have won 78.6 percent of their conference games during their first season in the Big 12. 
  • Walter Clayton is averaging 21.4 points in Florida’s last five games. The Gators have quietly won eight of their last 10.
  • South Florida has clinched at least a share of the AAC regular season title for the first time ever. Prior to this season, the Bulls had never finished higher than seventh in the league standings since joining the conference. There’s not many first-year head coaches doing a better job than Amir Abdur-Rahim.  
  • Loyola Chicago has now doubled its win total from last season, when it only won 10 games in its first year in the Atlantic 10. Put the Ramblers at the top of the list of teams that can win the Atlantic 10 Tournament in a few weeks.
  • Random Thought: Notre Dame will have one of the best backcourts in the ACC next season with Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry. The duo combined for 46 points in Saturday’s three-point loss to Syracuse. 

Daily Specials

  • Miami at North Carolina
  • West Virginia at Kansas State
  • Baylor at TCU

Leftovers